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May 25, 2018

Navy’s minesweeper hunt gets response from Russia & Italy

The Navy’s hunt for a new class of mine-hunting warships has got
responses from Italy and Russia, after a setback at the last minute with
a South Korean firm not agreeing to terms for constructing a dozen
vessels under an estimated Rs 32,000-crore ‘Make in India’ project.

With
minesweepers being identified as one its most critical deficiencies,
the Navy is also believed to be sending a team to Australia to examine a
set of used vessels that are being upgraded to modern standards.

Minesweepers
are specialised warships that are used to clear harbours and other
critical areas of mines laid by enemy submarines and vessels. While the
Navy had 12 of them in active service at one point, this strength is now
reduced to the lone INS Kozhikode that is also scheduled for
decommissioning soon.

India has been trying unsuccessfully since
2005 to find replacements, with its dealings with South Korean firm
Kangnam hitting controversy at least twice. In the first instance, the
Korean firm was dropped by the UPA government after allegations surfaced
that it had appointed ‘consultants’ for the contract, in a violation of
Indian procurement norms.

While the company was not banned from
work in India, it managed to get back into the fray with the Manohar
Parrikar-led defence ministry that decided to nominate the Goa Shipyard
Ltd (GSL) for the contract. However, earlier this year, negotiations
with the company – which was selected on a single vendor basis — broke
down after it failed to meet technology transfer commitments.